New Member - Adler Organ Owner - TLC questions

[John Edelmann]

Greetings all .. on Monday, I purchased (for $50) an Adler reed organ from an individual in Miamisburg OH; she'd acquired it from a mansion in Middletown OH, as I understand it, and promptly painted it white to match her decor. She did not purchased as a playing instrument, but just a furniture item. I have it as a musical instrument (it shares a space with my conservatory Yamaha Grand piano). Is there a way to post a link to the shared google drive site that has my photo album of the instrument? The top (which did exist at one time based on the top design/holes) is absent.

The status of this organ is as follows: It plays generally well. In removing the various covers to clean out the "inch or so of dust", I noted that there are no signs of mechanical wear or damage; there is a little flap that covers the vox humana "air motor" when it's not engaged that is very worn, but once the dust was removed, the insides actually look remarkably well preserved.

The only real damage i can see is externally with the console itself; missing scrollwork under keyboard, and the entire lower right side of the organ is missing the spinel and part of the foot. The pedal straps are relatively new, being replaced with what appears to be blue denim material (!)

The one main issue I'm having is that the air supply created by the suction of the bellows seems a bit compromised, in that it seems to take a lot of pedal work to keep it at a satisfactory volume. I note that the material that covers the exhaust holes on the front faces of the bellows is very worn; When depressing a pedal (and the bellows open), I'm concerned that the cloth isn't really sealing these exhaust holes adequately. Thus, I'm wondering if it is "okay" to replace these strips of material with a rubber gasket material that would provide a better seal during the vacuum phase. Otherwise, I do not hear any "leaks" or other issues that would lead me to believe there is a leak or hole in the bellows.

Other than this, the only other real issue is that a few of the notes do not play on some of the various stops (so it's not a key action I don't believe, but rather just reeds that aren't speaking so to speak). How to address that would be my next question.

Otherwise, i'm quite happy with my little $50 experiment here... and the fact that it was painted white is probably the only reason my wife agreed to my purchasing it in the first place, since that's the decor of our music rooms as well... :) -- as much as i hate to see such a fine wood instrument painted.

[lcid]

I wish you lots of happiness with your new instrument and welcome to the Forum. Knowledgable members will be answering your questions soon....I'm sure. Just had to say $50 is the same price I paid for my Swan pump organ when I was a teenager (now 76) and still have the organ. I remember my excitement purchasing my first "keyboard" and bringing it home in a rented trailer. At that time I "only" had my Gibson semi-hollow electric guitar. May God continue His blessings in your life.

[nutmegct]

Hi John - welcome to the Forum. Should be no problem to post that Google link - just paste the shareable link into your next post here.

Who knows the full history of your Adler, so you'll likely need to repair/replace all the air system (the fabric, internals, etc.). That's what I did on my 1874 George Woods.

https://www.reedsoc.org/index.php/ro...organ?ID=12710

Tom M.

[John Edelmann]

Is there a primer hereabouts in terms of the procedure to pull the reeds to inspect them for dust, etc.? I spoke with the fine folks at "Reed Organ Parts", and they have the reed hook you would use. I do have a book on order. And i'll be sure to stay at a Holiday Inn Express in the near future as well ... :)

[nutmegct]

A primer? Ask and ye shall receive!

https://www.reedsoc.org/index.php/in...d-organ-repair

You can actually make your own reed puller, by tapping a six penny (6d) nail into a small block of wood. You use the nail head for pulling the reed, and for pushing it back into place.

[John Edelmann]

Another question I have ... is what is the purpose of this apparent "valve" ? (looks like a mouse trap). Is it just an expansion valve? Also, because the pedal strap was replaced in this unit, i'm unsure as to whether or not whoever did it actually replaced it with the correct length or not. Is there a way to tell how far (displacement?) the bellows should be when the pedals are fully depressed? On this unit, at the top most part of the bellows, they are only opening to about 2" on one side (right) and 2.5" on the left.

[nutmegct]

John - until those with more experience reply, I highly recommend:

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-am...sbn=187951107X

[myorgan]

John,

Welcome to the Forum, and thank you for sharing your instrument here.

For missing scroll work, you can take a drawing, tracing, or photo of the good, existing scroll work, flip it horizontally or vertically to get what you need, and then print it out from there to scale. You may need a large format printer to do so, however. Your organ looks strangely like my Sears & Roebuck (later known as Burdett) pump organ, but with different grille work in the front (cf: https://organforum.com/gallery/displ..._display_media).

The same technique can be used to replace the missing foot of the organ.

For the missing notes, I can tell you with all confidence (from seeing your photos) it is definitely caused by dust particles in the reeds. When you pull a reed, look closely between the reed and the frame, and you'll find a speck of dust caught between them. A small puff of air will generally clear the dust/debris. If you use your own breath, just be aware your breath could cause corrosion if you use it too much.

Be careful replacing the reed, so you don't cause damage to the reed cell. Also, only remove one reed at a time so you don't get them mixed up.

Hope this helps get you started. I look forward to reading more about your organ restoration efforts.

Michael

P.S. The blue denim will probably work, but you can find canvas strapping at most fabric stores.

[Organfella]

Hello John and welcome! Great instrument you have there. The "mousetrap" appears to be a relief valve for when the bellows are at maximum vacuum which you might not yet achieve, given the leaky valves. You will certainly have to do some work on the old gal, but my recommendation would be to ogle, fondle, caress and get to know the beast before diving headlong into its belly. Do not worry about the denim straps, yet. If they bother you, you can always replace them later if you want. The white paint job must have been done by some previous owner - say, what's with the original looking varnished top? Did the organ come without the lid? The suspected missing parlor top is not uncommon. People often removed them to facilitate transport or storage and then not bothering to replace it.

Enjoy the beast!

Nico

[John Edelmann]

Thanks for the kind welcome and starter tips. it's amazing that i've been playing these things when I stumble upon them (mostly in folks homes) but never knew the first thing abt how they worked. Like i had no idea what the knee paddles were until I actually observed the action inside mine with the top off! The white paint job was done by the most recent owner before me. But they did leave the top unscathed. I will doubtless scathe it, though, because i'm none too worried about the actual original value (anymore) given that it is WHITE. We'll possibly remove the original finish off the top and stain it something appropriate for the "period" (as in something to go with the white!) while making the most of the grain. The primer that was posted, while very cool, seems a bit daunting to me ... i'd rather just see about checking out the reeds in a surgical strike if that's advisable...

[myorgan]

i'd rather just see about checking out the reeds in a surgical strike if that's advisable...

It is. You can't do much damage by simply cleaning the reeds.

Michael

[John Edelmann]

I did shorten the straps for the pedals by nearly 1.5 - 2" ... they now travel a more appropriate distance, and thus, it seems i don't have to work as hard to get a continuous sounds...

[nutmegct]

If those pedal straps are made of denim, it's likely stretching. Not the best material for that purpose! If/when you replace the straps, consider putting a bit of lubrication on the rollers.

Tom M.

[John Edelmann]

New question ... on this thread: the Vox Humana control inside has a small 1" square piece of what looks like felt that was afixed to one part of the round fan assembly, and then threaded over a metal pin which is on the end of the Vox Humana stop (along with the brake). The felt or whatever it was, is the seal for the vacuum being drawn thru a small hole at the top of the fan box, so as to limit air intake when the vox is not in use. Does anyone know what might be used in its place? I suspect a piece of thinner leather would work but that doesn't appear to be what this was originally.... It must be flexible, as the material is pulled over the hole to seal it.

thanks!

[SubBase]

It's going to be a leather flap 99% of the time.

[John Edelmann]

Thanks on the flap .. i found something in leather that looks very suitable so we're good there.

SO here then, is a question in general. The Primer for doing the renovation is masterfully written, however:

I have the book on order mentioned previously; I suspect i need to await its arrival to address my next lack of understanding here. I need an orientation as it were, into the mechanics and over all design of the various actions, including a pictorial guide that explains what is where by name. For instance, the "shutters" as I'd call them seem to be referred to as mutes? And one other main puzzlement i have is regarding the voices (reeds) themselves. I'm assuming that if you have a melodia and a celeste as I do in the treble, that these are 2 distinct sets of reeds for each note in the treble side, and the same for the bass (I have a Diapason and Flute in the bass). I understand the Forte business of course. The couplers on mine seem to be generally inoperative, if they are intended to add an octave below the note being actually played. There are a few that work in the Treble side, but generally speaking this is probably the largest deficiency in the Adler I have on both Bass and Treble. I'm perhaps just being impatient (but it's very exciting to discover how these things work - i just want to avoid screwing anything up !)

[myorgan]

John,

The "shutters" are, indeed, the mutes. The reeds are specific sets and specific tunings, hence the caution I provided earlier about only removing one at a time. If you remove an entire set, one technique some use is to lay them out across a strip of masking tape, so they don't get mixed up and stay in order. That said, however, be careful not to leave them there too long, as the adhesive can cause issues for the reeds once placed back into the organ. I would think perhaps painter's tape may be better.

Best with the project.

Michael